Winter’s Orbit
Everina Maxwell
£9.99
Mr B's review
A queer romance sci-fi novel, this is a fun arranged-marriage-in-space book in which one of the Empress’ wild, disreputable grandsons, Kiem, has to marry the quiet, upright widower Jainan in order to save… well, both of their home planets, and maybe even the universe. Pacy, playful and light-hearted, this is a novel that ends up dealing with a number of difficult subjects with sensitivity and heart. ‘Ancillary Justice’ meets ‘Red, White and Royal Blue’, but the political intrigue is more of a light sprinkling of icing sugar on a main story about the developing chemistry and connection between two men from different worlds.
Description
‘A chilling account of a dark past wrapped in the warm blanket of a promising future . . . A pleasure to read’ Ann Leckie
‘Sparks fly’ NPR
‘A stunning new space opera debut’ K. B. Wagers
The Iskat Empire rules its vassal planets through a system of treaties – so when Prince Taam, key figure in a political alliance, is killed, a replacement must be found. His widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with the disreputable aristocrat Kiem, in a bid to keep rising hostilities between two worlds under control. But Prince Taam’s death may not have been an accident, and when Jainan himself is a suspect, he and Kiem must navigate the perils of the Iskat court, solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war . . .
***Winner of an ALA Alex Award***
***Sunday Times bestseller***
‘Has everything you could ask: impossible choices, divided loyalties, dry wit . . . charming slow-burn romance, and an adventure in space politics’ A. K. Larkwood
‘High-pitched noises escaped me; I shouted, more than once, ‘Now kiss!’…in a world so relentlessly uncertain, there’s a powerfully simple pleasure in the experience of a promise kept’ The New York Times Book Review
‘Dazzling . . . Its characters stayed with me long after I raced through the last chapters’ Aliette de Boddard
Everina Maxwell’s debut is a space opera with high-stakes multi-world politics and irresistibly engaging characters, perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. An LGBTQ romance and Tiktok/Booktok sensation. Find the author on Twitter at @av_stories
From the same author:
OCEAN’S ECHO
Publisher Review
Delightful! Winter’s Orbit is a chilling account of a dark past wrapped in the warm blanket of a promising future. It was such a pleasure to read
A captivating love story with engaging characters, wrapped around a murder mystery with high-stakes multi-world politics. Winter’s Orbit reminds me in the best way of the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. I can’t wait to see what Maxwell does next!
Everina Maxwell’s writing has everything you could ask . . . I don’t know how she’s managed to write a book that’s simultaneously an elegant comedy of manners, a charming slow-burn romance, and an adventure in space politics, but whatever her secret, I’m wildly envious
A dazzling and comforting story of galactic politics, healing and romance. Its characters stayed with me long after I raced through the last chapters
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